Sophomore Trio Leads Cougars Past Bridgeport, 72-66

Box Score ORANGEBURG, N.Y. – Three sophomores combined to score 56 points as the Caldwell College men's basketball team defeated the University of Bridgeport, 72-66 at the Daniel Sullivan Memorial Tournament Sunday afternoon. The win gives the Cougars a 2-3 record on the season, while the Purple Knights fall to 2-3.

Leading the way was forward Michael Balkovic (Neptune, NJ/St. John Vianney) with 22 points, seven rebounds and a career-high five assists. Guards Wyatt Polk (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield) and Kevin Walker (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) each scored 17 points, with Walker pulling down a career-best 10 rebounds.

Bridgeport led by as many as five points in the first half before Caldwell closed out the half with a 9-2 run to take a 33-29 halftime lead. Balkovic scored nine points in the first half, as the Cougars shot 46.7 percent from the field compared to 31.3 percent for Bridgeport.

Caldwell stayed on top for most of the second half until the Purple Knights grabbed their first lead of the period with a 7-0 run that gave them a 57-56 lead with seven minutes remaining. Balkovic and Polk answered for the Cougars with a pair of conventional three-point plays to spark a 10-1 run en route to a 66-58 advantage. That was enough to subdue Bridgeport, as the Purple Knights never came closer than four points over the final three minutes of the game.

The Cougars finished strong, shooting 56.5 percent from the field in the second half for a 50.9 shooting percentage for the game. For Balkovic, the performance marked the third time in five games that he has scored 20 or more points. Senior forward Arthur Morrison (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) pitched in with nine points and seven rebounds. Bridgeport received 19 points and seven rebounds from Ivan Simic.

Caldwell begins its home schedule on Tuesday, Nov. 20 with a non-conference game against NYIT. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. in the George R. Newman Center.

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